Posted: Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 10:05 AM ET (1405 GMT)
Rocket Lab launched an experimental DARPA satellite Thursday evening. The company's Electron rocket lifted off from its New Zealand spaceport at 7:27 pm EDT (2327 GMT), deploying the Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) satellite into low Earth orbit nearly an hour later. The 150-kilogram satellite is designed to test technologies for large deployable antennas that can be incorporated onto small satellites. The launch was the first this year for Rocket Lab, which says it plans to carry out launches on a monthly basis this year.